There are a million ways to make a little extra cash at home, but if you've got a knack
for putting pen to paper and making words come alive, freelance writing might be your
best option. Freelance writing can be a super lucrative side hustle, but it also can be
a pretty tricky field to get started in. Even if you’re already a talented writer, it
can be tough to market your content and land clients.
So in this video, we’re going to cover exactly how to get started as a freelance writer.
This will include tips to keep in mind before you get started, and how to take that first
step. Then, we’ll break down the best platforms to start with if you want to start earning
money as a freelance writer. Finally, we’ll wrap up with what you can expect to earn and
how to increase that number as you gain experience.If you follow along, this video can help you
get that first paid writing gig and kick off your freelance writing career. Let’s get
started. Dealing With Rejection
As tough as it sounds, if you’re doing any sort of freelance work, you need to prepare
yourself for criticisms and even rejection. Freelancing writing, and freelancing in general,
requires a lot of perseverance and, honestly, a bit of luck, at least at first. It’s incredibly
unlikely you’ll land your dream writing gig right out of the gate. In order to get
there, you’ll need to be able to learn from all of your experiences, even the bad ones.
Focus on the constructive feedback from clients in order to improve your own writing skills
and make yourself a stronger candidate for the next gig.
Fortunately, as long as you can handle this, the steps involved in getting started as a
freelance writer are pretty straightforward. As long as you can communicate clearly and
succinctly in writing, there will be no shortage of freelance writing opportunities for you.
Putting In The Legwork Finding success as a freelance writer also
involves much more than actually writing content. In fact, the most time-consuming part of freelancing
for beginners can be finding a client who is willing to pay for your work. It's always
best to keep in mind that the world of freelancing is already pretty crowded. That means you'll
have to set yourself apart from countless other writers if you want to catch a client’s
attention. You’ll need to build a reputation by developing a portfolio of work, which will
serve as your resume for any future writing gigs. Give 100% to every project so that you
have a strong and diverse portfolio for your next potential gig.
Once you’re comfortable with these prerequisites, all that’s left to do is get started.
First you have to identify your writing niche. There are many different categories of freelance
writing jobs out there. For example, you have different formats of written content, such
as blog posts, web pages, product descriptions, reviews, books and even social media posts.
Beyond that, you’ll have different niches, from health and fitness, to entertainment
or anything else you can imagine.
As a beginner, you may be excited to work within a certain type of content, but you
may need to lower your expectations to get your foot in the door and start earning paid
gigs. However, if you can develop a reputation and particular skill for writing a certain
type of content, it can go a long way in landing you gigs in the future. For example, there
is huge demand for SEO-friendly web content. SEO is search-engine optimization, which is
when you structure a piece of content so that it appears when someone makes a search on
Google. Businesses will pay a lot of money for writers who can create effective content
for SEO, which means it’s one of the best areas for freelancers to become familiar with
and seek jobs in.
Similarly, we’re seeing a huge demand for video script content thanks to the rise of
YouTube, TikTok and so many other video platforms. If you’re experienced in this area or have
a certain passion for video content, it may be a great area to market yourself in and
grow a long-term freelancing career.
Of course, another option is monetizing a personal blog using a platform like Wordpress.
It takes time and effort to develop a following and start turning a profit, but if you are
diligent about regularly posting to your blog, you can build your own online business by
working for yourself and writing in your free time. Of course, this is more self-employment
than freelancing, and it also takes a lot of time and know-how. Let us know in the comments
if you’d like to see a video on this strategy in the future.
But if you are trying to start earning quicker than that, the best way to get started is
arguably by writing SEO-friendly blogs and web content for other businesses. There are
countless businesses who need help running blogs, writing affiliate marketing articles
and creating well-written product descriptions. We’ll cover the best places to start with
this in just a moment. Next, you need to determine your rate.
The rate of pay can vary wildly for freelance writing, depending on format, length and the
client’s budget. Some might pay you a flat rate for a single piece of work, they may
pay you per word, or they may pay per hour worked.
As a beginner, especially one without a large portfolio, you may need to settle for lower
rates as you build up a writing portfolio. As you gain more experience, you can negotiate
for higher rates based on your past work. This can make it difficult to get started
as a beginner, because those first few gigs may not pay very well. However, you just need
to get through enough gigs to find a client that values your work and will pay you well
for it. Typically, the most successful freelance writers are the ones who find repeat clients
who want to work with them long-term. This makes it so that you no longer have to work
for gigs, and the client knows that they’ve got someone who can consistently deliver the
content they need. It works out for everyone, and results in more income for you as the
freelance writer.
Of course, when you’re just getting started with paid gigs, you also want to make sure
you don’t get scammed, and you can do this by using a reputable freelance platform. These
platforms will use escrow services that ensure you’ll be paid for your time, even if the
relationship doesn’t work out long-term. This way, you know you’ll be paid as you
work towards finding a trustworthy client you feel comfortable working with directly.
So without further ado, let’s take a look at the best freelance writing platforms for
beginners. Upwork
Here we have one of the most popular online platforms for freelancers looking to develop
a client base. Upwork's marketplace features job postings for all kinds of freelancing
work such as video production, content marketing, social media curation and of course freelance
writing.
Writers can find either short-term gigs or long-term arrangements. But if you're just
getting started as a freelance writer, you'll need to be patient. This is where being comfortable
with rejection comes into play. Before you start receiving regular commissions on the
site, you'll have to submit a bunch of proposals. Once you land some work, you'll start developing
a reputation as an expert writer on the platform.
On Upwork, you can either ask for an hourly rate or you can designate a fixed price for
projects you're willing to take on. Upwork takes a percentage of your pay, so you'll
want to factor that in when you're setting your rates and submitting your bids.
As with pretty much all freelancing platforms, you'll likely earn less when you first get
started. Upwork's commissions start at 20% until you've earned at least $500. After that,
their cut goes down to 10%. After earning more than $10,000 on the platform, that commission
goes down to 5%. That means you shouldn't expect to immediately start making the big
bucks. Getting started you might only make $5 or $10 per job, but after gaining experience
and developing your reputation, you could start earning substantially more for your
work.
Fiverr
Much like Upwork, Fiverr is a freelancing platform that is designed to help freelancers
of all varieties to land work with prospective clients. Fiverr's name comes from the base
$5 price for each job listed on the platform. While that might not sound very lucrative
at first, as you gain experience and your user rating improves, you can start earning
significantly higher rates for your work.
One of the biggest draws of Fiverr is the sheer volume of work available on their platform.
After signing up for an account, setting up your seller profile, and creating a gig, clients
can hire you if they find your work compelling.
Fiverr is a great platform to start marketing your skills, but after you've gained a bit
of experience, you might want to consider leveling up to a different platform or working
directly with clients with whom you've developed a working relationship.
iWriter
This freelancing site is perfect for beginner writers as it takes a lot of the guesswork
out of the process when you're just getting started. After completing a brief application
and submitting two short prompts to prove that you're an adequate writer, you'll be
able to choose writing jobs from the iWriter marketplace. This means you can pick up projects
without having to pitch yourself to clients and compete for work. The majority of writers
start on the platform’s 'Standard' writing tier, where jobs don't pay that much. So,
don't be too discouraged if your first gig only nets you $2 to $5 dollars.
As you develop your skills and receive positive feedback from your clients, you can rank up
to their 'Elite' and 'Elite Plus' writing tiers where you can make a bit more. To put
that into perspective a bit, a 300-word job on iWriter's Elite Plus tier can pay up to
$24 dollars, and a 2000 word job can potentially land you $145 dollars. While that might sound
pretty decent, the one drawback to iWriter is the fact that the majority of jobs listed
on the platform are in the lower writing tiers. iWriter might not have the volume of jobs
that platforms like Fiverr and Upwork have, but it's a great place for inexperienced freelancers
to develop their portfolios. ProBlogger
This platform offers a decent writing job board that hosts gigs that freelancers can
compete for. The quality of jobs offered are a bit higher than some other platforms, and
the clients must pay at least $75 to post a job. Problogger is fairly easy to navigate,
and the process for pitching for a writing job is relatively straightforward.
The biggest caveat to writing with ProBlogger, however, is that there isn't much job volume
on the platform. So, you might have to wait a few days if you’re looking for jobs exclusively
within a specific niche. Guru
Guru is another micro-gig job hosting platform like Fiverr and Upwork. Setting up a profile
is simple, and from there, you can find numerous writing jobs that are available for freelancers.
On Guru, you submit a bid for each project to get paid either per task or by the hour.
Unlike other platforms, Guru requires clients to fund their jobs before they post them,
so you know that they’re serious about getting the job completed.
Guru has a fairly decent volume of jobs available at any given time, making it another great
platform for beginners.
Potential Earnings & How to Earn More
Freelancing platforms like the ones we've just covered are geared primarily towards
writers that are relatively inexperienced. Don't expect to earn a six-figure income right
off the bat. In fact, you probably won’t make a full-time income from freelance writing
for at least several months, so don't quit your day job just yet.
As we already mentioned when discussing iWriter, your first few jobs probably aren’t going
to pay too well. Don't give up just because you are only making a few dollars here and
there, because as you develop your client base and hone your craft, eventually, you'll
start earning better pay. Once you find the right client and/or become more efficient
at writing for your clients, you can easily earn upwards of $30 an hour.
Be warned, though, that after several months or years of freelance writing, you may reach
a plateau. If you choose to write for iWriter, for example, once you've reached their 'Elite
Plus' top tier, there is no way to move further up the ladder and increase your pay. At that
point, you might want to look into taking your skills elsewhere. The best possible scenario
at that point is to cut out the middleman and deal with clients directly. But that’s
why these platforms are great, they help you get started with earning money, building a
portfolio and building relationships with clients. Once you’re no longer a beginner,
you’ll be able to explore other opportunities, hopefully earning higher pay in the process.
But, it all comes back to actually getting started and landing that first gig. If you
can successfully make that first step, then each subsequent job comes easier and easier.
Hopefully, we gave you enough info to get that first gig, but I’d love to hear from
you in the comments if you have any other questions. Alternatively, if you’ve tried
freelance writing, let us know what you struggle with or what’s contributed to your success!
And if you're looking for other ways to start earning a little extra cash on the side, check
out this video on 6 side hustles that anybody can start from home. Thanks for watching and
we’ll see you in the next one.